Chennai Super Kings travel to Bengaluru to take on the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in a high-stakes Southern Derby on Saturday to decide the final playoff spot in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League.
Both teams have had contrasting seasons thus far, and will need a win at the very least to make it to the top 4 as we close in on the final phase of the group stages. A win would be enough for CSK to secure the fourth place, while RCB need to win by a margin of at least 18 runs, if they score 200, or chase down the same with 11 delivered to spare to inch ahead of the five-time winners in NRR.
It is guaranteed to be a mouth-watering clash, however, another huge question looms as to whether this will be the last season former CSK skipper and icon MS Dhoni will don the famous yellow jersey.
Former CSK and RCB batter Robin Uthappa thinks not and added that making the playoffs in Rutuaj Gaikwad’s first season as the skipper would boost the confidence and morale of the side.
“Is this MS’s last run? I don’t think so, personally, I don’t think so,” Uthappa said.
“But, do they want to spoil RCB’s party? Definitely,” he asserted.
“Ruturaj, I think, would want to get to the knockout stage in his first season as captain. That will be a huge confidence booster for him and for CSK. It’s one for the long run. Let’s see where that goes,” Uthappa said.
RCB, however, have won their previous five engagements and will look to enter the playoffs at the cost of Chennai as they gear up for the virtual quarterfinal at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Uthappa, who has represented both sides at various points in his career, said he was placed like a cat on the wall ahead of the encounter and that the toss would play a huge role in deciding the fate of the fixture.
“Well, I have played for both sides, I am somewhere in the middle. RCB, after the way they have bounced back from the way they started, you want them to kind of come back. A lot depends on the toss there,” Uthappa added.
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